Terminology

2225 terms, tools, patterns and metrics an architect is expected to use precisely. Each one gets a short explanation of what it is, and — where it matters — what it is commonly confused with. Search filters as you type; the column headers sort.

All areas2225 Architecture Fundamentals77 Distributed Systems107 Data Architecture110 Cloud Architecture94 Networking88 API & Integration Architecture82 Reliability & Resilience75 Observability70 Performance & Capacity Engineering72 Security Architecture86 Cost Architecture & FinOps71 Business Architecture67 Architecture Communication67 Enterprise Architecture66 Legacy Modernization71 AI-Era Architecture74 Software Architecture & Engineering71 Architecture Patterns71 Architecture Decision-Making63 The Architect's Meta-Skills61 Delivery & Release Engineering66 Platform Engineering & Developer Experience70 Testing & Quality Architecture66 Data Platform Architecture69 Streaming & Real-Time Data69 Data Governance & Semantics74 Frontend & Experience Architecture66 Edge, Mobile & IoT68 Regulatory & Data Protection Architecture65 Assurance, Audit & Model Risk69

Kind Any concept801 practice736 pattern377 metric127 case-study77 tool62 protocol45

3 terms shown.

Term	Kind	Topic	What it is
Architecture Roadmap	practice	Architecture Roadmaps	A sequenced plan of architectural change expressed as capability outcomes and decision points rather than as a fixed timeline of projects.
Roadmapping	practice	Architecture Roadmaps	Sequencing architectural change so that each step delivers value and is safe to stop after — rather than planning a destination nobody reaches.
Target-State Decay Architecture Plan Decay, Target Architecture Drift	concept	Architecture Roadmaps	The rate at which an approved target architecture stops being correct - mostly for organisational reasons rather than technical ones - and the reason a plan with no review date turns into a set of case-by-case…